Overview

• In the second mass deportation since August 2024, Germany sent 81 convicted Afghan migrants to Kabul, all charged with offences ranging from sexual violence to drug trafficking.
• Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt framed the operation as part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s hardline migration agenda, insisting that serious offenders have no right to stay in Germany.
• The Merz government secured Qatari mediation for the flight and has announced plans to negotiate directly with Taliban authorities on future returns.
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and Amnesty International condemned the deportation and demanded an immediate halt to forced Afghan repatriations.
• Following a June court ruling that challenged summary asylum refusals, Berlin is moving to institutionalize stricter expulsion procedures at the EU level.